crime

Man arrested for allegedly molesting young girl in car

40 Comments

Police on Sunday arrested a 36-year-old man on suspicion of  molesting an elementary grade school girl after enticing her to get into his car last month.

The suspect, Kyohei Ishiyama, whose occupation is unknown, lives in Gyoda, Saitama Prefecture, Sankei Shimbun reported. Police said he has denied the allegation.

According to police, the incident occurred at around 5 p.m. on Sept 19 in Tokyo’s Nerima Ward. The girl was walking home alone when a man in a parked car called out to her to get in and he would give her a ride home.

When the girl got into the car, the man drove her to a parking lot where he allegedly molested her for about 40 minutes. He let the girl out and she returned home and told her mother who called 110. The girl told police she did not know the man.

Police said they identified Ishiyama after street surveillance camera footage of his sedan in the area where the incident occurred matched the description of the car given by the girl.

Editor's note: The story has been updates to clarify that the girl was an elementary grade school girl.

© Japan Today

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40 Comments
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Why did she get in the car in the first place???

7 ( +23 / -16 )

Why did she get in the car in the first place???

Victim blaming. Or is the question why can't every teenager be street tough and hard like teenagers have to be in the mean streets, or like middle aged men who think they know what's best for others.

The question should be why did he lure her in. The answer is he's a pervert who needs to face justice.

-4 ( +18 / -22 )

The answer is he's a pervert who needs to face justice.

Which assumes that I have enough information from this brief article to know what really happened.

13 ( +15 / -2 )

Streets smarts lessons need to be taught from elementary school.

16 ( +19 / -3 )

Poor girl. That guy does indeed deserve hell. But I also hold their parents responsible for not education her enough on getting into cars with strangers.

7 ( +15 / -8 )

Streets smarts lessons need to be taught from elementary school

Perhaps. And boys should be taught from an early age they can't force themselves on girls, or other boys.

14 ( +21 / -7 )

How they educate children in Japan are a bit different. Where in my home country (America), we are taught not to trust strangers, not to speak to them, and don't go anywhere with them. However, in Japan, according to my wife, many are taught that someone might need help and Japanese are inherently good people. So when a stranger calls out to you, you think that person might need help or it's a trusting person because Japanese people don't lie.

10 ( +13 / -3 )

"walking home alone when a man in a parked car called out to her to get in and he would give her a ride home. When the girl got into the car..........."

Why in the heck would she get into the car in the first place? That's just dumb!

4 ( +18 / -14 )

@Dillusioned,Read the post above. It makes comolete sense.

1 ( +7 / -6 )

Why did she get in the car in the first place???

It’s a good question and not “victim blaming”. Knowing why she did it would help in educating other children.

9 ( +16 / -7 )

Why did she get in the car in the first place???

Don't see why this is comment is being down-voted. Perhaps the guy was being very forceful in the way he spoke with her, but, ultimately, she was not forced in, she got in on her own free will. This does not excuse this guy molesting a minor, but, junior high is certainly old enough to understand that you don't take candy--or car rides --from strangers.

6 ( +16 / -10 )

This guy definitely deserves to have the book thrown at him. This poor girl had to endure this horrible experience.

As for mom and dad. What's your deal? Look as parents we can't protect our children from every single negative experience the world has to throw our way. It's your job to prepare them for the world. You wanna maybe teach your kids to not climb into the car of strange, unknown men?

0 ( +6 / -6 )

It’s a good question and not “victim blaming”.

If @oldman had followed his question asking why the man invited the teenage girl into his car, I would not have been so quick to say he was victim blaming. None of us knows what happened, but as the father of a daughter my first instinct is to defend the younger female.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

Police said they identified Ishiyama after street surveillance camera footage of his sedan in the area where the incident occurred matched the description of the car given by the girl.

I hope they got the right guy. That identification is extremely vague.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Exactly Bugle Boy and Cp.

Junior high school is well old enough to know that you shouldn't be getting into stranger's cars.

Saying that Japanese adults teach their children to trust everyone to the point they get in stranger's cars is ridiculous and unfounded.

She certainly did not deserve to get molested, but at the same time she should not have gotten into the vehicle in the first place. And stayed there for 40 minutes? Something seems off here.

-7 ( +7 / -14 )

I think the question should be, what did this jerk say to convince a JH girl to get into his car? A parents worst nightmare.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Poor girl. This could have ended a lot worse.

Obviously, he is mostly to blame. Hopefully the law will deal with him accordingly.

Also, the girl hopefully will have learned to never, ever under any circumstance get into a car with a stranger, especially a man. Parents and educators must teach this to all children.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

"Why in the heck would she get into the car in the first place? That's just dumb!"

Blame the victim, that is even more dumb.

-5 ( +8 / -13 )

Children don't always obey their parents' directives.

Children are naive, and even if warned against strangers don't always really fully understand the danger.

Children often take risks that an adult would not because their brains are not fully formed, and thus are incapable of fully assessing risks.

This could be your child. Be kind.

Putting any amount of blame on a girl for being molested is victim-blaming.

Castigating girls or women who have been sexually assaulted is misogyny.

0 ( +9 / -9 )

while at the beginning I thought it may have been a deal with a junior high school girl (unfortunately often happening) gone sour, the Japanese news say 小学校低年, that means early primary school (7-10 years old)! That changes the story quite a bit

0 ( +2 / -2 )

the Japanese news say 小学校低年, that means early primary school (7-10 years old)! That changes the story quite a bit

Hmm, if this is true and the man really did do something, then this is very worrying. I hope the victim gets justice.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Child gets sexually assaulted, many blame the child. That is victim blaming.

The only person responsible for what happened is the man who assaulted her.

1 ( +8 / -7 )

All talking about victim and parent blaming, but what about perp blaming? No one ever defends the perp... :)=

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

We as women/girls need to be alert and be aware that people are not always trust worthy

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Hope the girl is not too traumatized. As timeon points out, the girl is in the first half of elementary, so 7 to 9 years old.

https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASMB642FTMB6UTIL005.html

We have a seven-year-old girl who walks to school, sometimes on her own. It's the school's fault, sending the kids back out at different times. I think its good for my daughter to walk, but stories like this are concerning.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

And boys should be taught from an early age they can't force themselves on girls, or other boys.

I think he knows this already.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

"Why would she get in the car??" is a sentiment expressed by adults who know and understand the dangers, and is made out of surprise or bewilderment, and not necessarily to put blame on the girl.

It is also a valid question. Wouldn't adults who want to better protect their own children want to know what was said to the young girl so they could better educate their own daughters about the dangers and how to avoid / combat them?

Even saying that 'the girl is dumb' is not blaming the girl. It is pointing out that her actions were foolish. They were. She either didn't know better (which means she is innocent) or she knew better and was indeed foolish, (but doesn't make her guilty of anything except being foolish). In any case, knowing exactly what transpired between the two will help educate other girls so they can avoid similar situations. The girl in question will likely need no further education.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Why did she get in the car in the first place???

Victim blaming.

It’s is absolutely not victim blaming. The pervert who lured her into his car is in the wrong and should face serious punishment. But what the girl did was stupid! Any 12-15 year old girl or boy should know to not get into a car with a stranger.

The perp is 100% wrong to molest a teenage girl. But don’t put yourself in a dangerous situation. Someone has failed to educate her, it seems.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Somebody should have instilled in her mind that you don't ever

get in a car with someone you don't know.

I'm thinking she won't ever forget, now.

That guy was a drooling wolf, waiting for an innocent lamb...

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

This story changed from this morning. It said a JHS girl. Now it says a young elementary school girl. Which is it?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Saying that Japanese adults teach their children to trust everyone to the point they get in stranger's cars is ridiculous and unfounded. 

Unless your Japanese wife tells you this, which is what the poster said. Reading glass get lost?

She certainly did not deserve to get molested, but at the same time she should not have gotten into the vehicle in the first place. And stayed there for 40 minutes? Something seems off here.

Yeah! Why didn't she just beat this guy up and run away?! It's not like he was a full grown man and she may have been in shock. This is absolutely victim blaming.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

i don,t know what kind of education these parents give to their daughter but "DON,T talk to strangers" is literally one of the first things a child should hear.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Bugle Boy of Company BOct. 7 03:30 pm JST

"Why would she get in the car??" is a sentiment expressed by adults who know and understand the dangers, and is made out of surprise or bewilderment, and not necessarily to put blame on the girl.

That, I can fully understand. People make exclamations out of shock and without thinking, and so wind up saying things that they may not have meant in the way they sound. But this:

It is also a valid question. Wouldn't adults who want to better protect their own children want to know what was said to the young girl so they could better educate their own daughters about the dangers and how to avoid / combat them?

Goes against that, since expecting an actual answer to the question means it isn't just a surprised exclamation.

But it is not a valid question, because you already know the answer. You know the answer because you know perfectly well that parents in Japan, like parents everywhere, absolutely do teach their children about the danger of interacting with strangers. And like kids everywhere, Japanese kids are too naive to fully understand the danger and in the moment forget what they were taught and get into trouble. That means the aim of the question isn't to find out why the parents didn't teach their child about strangers (because we know they did) but to shame the parents as well as the child.

Sometimes saying things that blame the victim is a knee-jerk reaction out of horror that this could happen. We want to think something like this couldn't or wouldn't happen to us or anyone we know because we tell ourselves that we are smarter than we perceive that victim to be. We tell ourselves that the person did it to themselves, it is their fault, so that we can believe it can't/won't happen to US. This is a real, well-documented phenomena in psychology.

On the other hand, some people blame the victim, particularly in sexual attacks like this one, because they just plain think of women, even child-women, as stupid. Yes, good ol' misogyny.

I can't say which this is in your case, Bugle Boy, but two things tell me it might be the second. First, because you have a record of saying misogynistic things here. Second, because you so vociferously defend this as a "valid question" and in defense of that try to claim that Japanese parents are somehow worse parents in regard to warning their children about predators. And we all know that simply is not true.

Even saying that 'the girl is dumb' is not blaming the girl. It is pointing out that her actions were foolish.

The thing is, she isn't "dumb". She is a child. Children are inexperienced and naive - not dumb.

They were. She either didn't know better (which means she is innocent) or she knew better and was indeed foolish, (but doesn't make her guilty of anything except being foolish). In any case, knowing exactly what transpired between the two will help educate other girls so they can avoid similar situations. The girl in question will likely need no further education.

This is not as logical as you seem to think it is. She was told not to go with strangers, and in the moment promised her parents not to, but being that she is a child she did not fully understand the danger. In addition, she was up against an adult. Adults know exactly how to manipulate children and gain their trust. It's not very hard to fool children into thinking, for example, that you need help, or that you are a nice person. We know this because this happens all the time, to children everywhere. So no, she was not foolish, stupid, or any other derogatory word you throw at her. She is merely a child.

As for educating other girls, I think we can safely say that parents are already doing that, and shaming the victim in this case by calling her "dumb" or "foolish" is not going to be helpful in that regard. What it will do however is make girls who make this mistake blame themselves instead of blame the adult male, who really and truly is the sole one responsible.

I hope we can put this to rest now. The child is not foolish, stupid, and this is not her fault or the parents' fault. The fault lies with a disgusting child predator who used his authority as an adult to manipulate and control a naive child.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The Asahi Shimbun refers to her as an early-grade elementary school student, which makes a huge difference. I hope she recovers from the trauma of this experience.

I can remember when I was in elementary school in the 1980s and early 90s being taught to never accepting candy or rides from strangers. I wonder if this it taught at all in Japanese schools.

Hopefully they have the right guy and lock him up for a long time.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

...and this is not her fault or the parents' fault. The fault lies with a disgusting child predator who used his authority as an adult to manipulate and control a naive child.

completely agree with that. unfortunately, these disgusting child predators are not gonna stop. they will always be out there. so, with that in mind, maybe that,s why people talk to the victims instead of talking to the criminals, and that doesn,t mean it,s victim blaming. in cases like these, what people want more than anything else is to prevent these things from happen, because there it is - it,s preventable. if we say to the criminal "don,t do that again" it,s like talking to a wall, however, if we do our best to educate our children the best way we can and tell them not to listen to strangers no matter what they say, that,s a good start. for example, it,s not just telling them not to listen to strangers, it,s warning them that strangers can lie, telling them they might say "this" or "that" but that it can be all a lie, not to trust anything they say, not to accept candies or money or anything because it,s dangerous, etc. etc. etc. and not just one time, they need to be reminded of this every day. yes, children,s brains are different from ours, but the way we teach them it,s extremely important. not just at home but also at school. and as for Japan, naivety in Japan is real.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

...maybe that,s why people talk about the victims instead of talking about the criminals *

... the way we teach our kids how to protect/defend themselves is extremely important *

just to make it clear: all the blame goes to the criminal and the criminal only.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

what people want more than anything else is to prevent these things from happen, because there it is - it,s preventable.

I very much understand this sentiment. We all want this.

But however much we want it to be, it is not preventable. This is going to keep happening, because girls and women cannot possibly be vigilant enough, strong enough, tough enough, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 72 weeks a year, for their entire lives, to stop these things from happening to us.

It simply is not possible, and asking us to be more careful, more aware, to take defense lessons, to be more vigilant, is not going to make it possible - instead it is only going to shame us for our supposed incompetence at stopping sex predators. I gotta ask: if the cops, prosecutors, judges, and the entire legal system can't prevent sexual assaults, then what makes anyone think an individual woman can? I assure you, we already do our best every single day - what more do you think we can possibly do? Do you think in addition to the worry and daily vigilance we must also be superwomen?

Instead of depending on lone women to defend themselves and prevent crimes, what we really need are stricter laws, heavier punishment for sex crimes, and - sorry good guys - we need MEN to be 100% with us, behind us, in support of us, instead of continually voicing skepticism.

Several posts were taken down from this comment section after I pointed out the inherent misogyny in them, the blatant victim-blaming, and accusations that this little girl was some kind of predator of men. With the world teeming with misogyny, is it any wonder sex crimes are rampant?

And you want US to be the ones preventing this? Answer me as to how.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@girl_in_tokyo

OK, i,m gonna have to agree. nobody can deny that.

but my comments were based in this case in particular:

The girl was walking home alone when a man in a parked car called out to her to get in and he would give her a ride home.

cases like these can be preventable.

but i agree with everything you said.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The girl was walking home alone when a man in a parked car called out to her to get in and he would give her a ride home.

cases like these can be preventable.

How is it preventable, other than locking the man up before he actually attempts to molest someone?

Kids can't even remember to do simple things like wash their hands, do their homework, or shut the door. But you think they can remember a lesson on stanger danger and be relied upon to react exactly as they were taught?

Even adults, men and women both, make these kinds of errors in judgement. But you think kids can be taught not to?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

OK, nothing is preventable. this is not an exact science. but what i,m trying to say is that millions of kids around the world wouldn,t do what this girl did.

of course each kid is different, but maybe, just maybe, this girl,s parents weren,t doing a very good job in helping her to protect herself when she,s alone in the street. we can,t know for sure, but i suspect that they pretty much didn,t even told her the basics (at least more than once or twice).

yes, kids forget things, that,s true... but getting in a stranger,s car and staying there for one hour, i,m sorry but it,s really hard to accept the fact that it looks too easy ( it shouldn,t be, at all ). after all, we,re in 2019, not 1970.

again, each kid is different. maybe he tried before and it didn,t work, we don,t know. what i know is that the parents can always do better. we wish we could eradicate the bad guys from the face of the Earth, but unfortunately that,s not possible, so what we can do is to educate our children the best way we can.

my point is that (especially when it comes to children) we can try to prevent these things from happen, in a realistic way, so instead of having 100 victims, we have 10 or less.

again, i agree with what you said. i think you can agree with what i,m trying to say too. like i said, this is not an exact science.

and locking them all up, yes, that would be the best. the authorities must do better. it should start from there, not from us, i think you can agree with that.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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